September 2011

Thanks to the Big Guy...

Matt Verni brings a unique perspective to Soccer Banter as he has coached at the Division I, II and III level while also coaching both men and women. Verni is currently the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Hartwick College and took time out of his busy schedule to give a recap of a typical day in the life of a College Soccer Coach. Much is always said how different life is at Division I, II and III, but the reality is in the Fall, every coach and team, puts in a lot of time and wants to win, no matter the level.

The text sent to my wife at 9:22 PM sums it up, “Ugh…shoot me.” Last night my college team lost 4-3 in a game that we should have won and needed to win. We were up for the game, excited. It was the first conference game of the year and it was against a team that we’ll battle for a playoff spot with. The game began well and we scored a goal 5 or 6 minutes in on a good little through ball and finish. The ladies were pumped and the game was done and dusted…right? Not quite. Continue Reading

Tattoos: Worn But Not Seen

I got my first and only tattoo when I was seventeen. It’s a character on my ankle that means ‘love’ in Mandarin Chinese. My high school girlfriend has the same one. It’s not a terrible tattoo, and excluding the fact that men shouldn’t have tattoos on their ankles, it’s something that I not so much regret as occasionally lament.

Were I to pinpoint the cause of my brief relationship with body art, the blame would fall squarely on the shoulders of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their 1991 album, ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’. The album was one of the first to shape my taste in music, and its liner notes, which presented each member’s tattoo collection in fascinating detail, were my first intimate exposure to tattoos as an art form. Continue Reading